Director: Matt Reeves
Notable Cast: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman,
Toby Kebbell, Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee
The Planet of the Apes franchise has had its ups and
downs over the decades. The original series couldn’t seem to find consistency in the five films, and the first attempted remake by Tim Burton saw the series lose almost all of its social commentary for a more action-oriented flick with off-putting humor. Luckily, the latest reboot of the series
(starting with 2011’s phenomenal Rise of the Planet of the Apes) put the
franchise back on track. Despite my high expectations for Matt
Reeves’ helmed follow-up Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, this latest
entry into the long-running science fiction series is even better. In fact, it’s
one of the best. It’s a film that, like the original, has strength and
universality in its script, along with perfect execution in the approach. It is one of the best films in the series and the best film of the year
thus far.
The Simian Flu has almost wiped out humanity. The aggressive
tactics of the human race trying to restrain it pushed then further towards
oblivion. It’s been ten years now and Caesar (Serkis) has established a nice
little colony of intelligent apes in the forests of California. When a group of
humans attempt to restore power to their city with a dam near Caesar’s colony,
the thoughtful ruler with have to navigate a fine line between forces that seem
destined to send them to war.
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| A hairy situation... |
The key to a great summer blockbuster like Dawn is
balance: a balance between characters, balance between plot and action, balance
of intelligence and entertainment, and a balance tension and relief. Dawn
not only succeeds at this precarious balancing act, but delivers above and
beyond on all of the elements while doing so. For all the big films this summer
(and this year), Dawn is perhaps the best and most well rounded film
I’ve seen.
Most of the film’s success starts with the writing. Rise
was a film that was able to notably blend science fiction entertainment with
heart and some strong social subtext. Dawn is the natural progression of
that. It’s more entertaining, filled with bigger emotional beats, and a more
aggressive subtext. The story is mostly told from the ape perspective with
Caesar and his clan consuming an admirable amount of screen time as opposed to
their human counterparts. Themes of loyalty, family, and trust run heavy in the
character interactions and emotional beats as the film focuses on really
fleshing out the foundational emotion of the science fiction built plot. It’s a
ballsy move by the film to give so much depth to a slew of computer-animated
characters (although the mocap here is phenomenal and both Serkis and Kebbel
probably deserve Oscar nods for their portrayals of the apes), but Dawn
succeeds here. Never have I felt an emotional connection to CGI in a film like
I did here. It’s more than impressive.
While the plot might serve to hit some pretty basic
formula’s overall, the execution of these beats is top notch. When the film
needs an impactful moment, Serkis delivers. When it needs tension and suspense,
Reeves slathers it on with strong visual pops including an exceptional hide and
seek moment when the human leader is trying to take some surgical supplies out
of a building that’s ape occupied. When
the film kicks into action mode in the last act building to Caesar’s return…the
special effects amaze. Through and through, Dawn simply comes through
and delivers the goods.
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| Ah... the friendly headbutt. |
Say what you will about the Planet of the Apes
franchise and whether you like it or not, but Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
establishes a new watermark for the series. The balance is perfect. It’s
thoughtful in all aspects of its execution in writing, visuals, and depth. By the end of the film, I was left with a need for more…for which I’ll have
to wait a couple of years to get when the next entry debuts.
Written By Matt Reifschneider
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